Restoration and Revelation
by spottedhorse
Summary: The team gathers at the hospital as one of their own fights for life. Gil's true feelings are exposed. Goes against cannon. Repost of my very first story but I like it so what the hey....


Jim Brass forced himself to stand quietly in the hall. He wanted to charge through the door and ask what the hell was happening. Images raced through his mind. His friend's body lying on the floor, barely recognizable. The madman hovering above the motionless body, slamming the bat into him, again and again. Jim had flown into the guy with a vengeance, nailing him to the wall until the uniforms took him away. Quickly Jim had searched for a pulse, thankful when he found it, even though it was thready. Yelling into his phone, he called for an ambulance. One of the uniforms walked back into the room and Jim unloaded. "How the hell did that happen? You CLEARED the house, remember? How did you miss this guy? Why the hell didn't you his back?" Before the remorseful uniform could answer Jim started in again, "These guys can't come into these scenes worrying about lunatics coming at them. You screwed up, you have REALLY SCREWED UP! You'd better pray that he lives because if he doesn't, I'm coming after you. Now get out of my sight."

The paramedics arrived and hurriedly prepared the victim for transport. Jim called Catherine as he followed his friend and climbed into the ambulance. "Hang in there pal. Stay with us. Just stay with me, buddy."

Heel clicks sounded at the opposite end of the hall. "My God Jim, what happened?" She eyed Jim's blood soaked clothes; his blood. So much blood.

Jim turned to look into the terrified blue eyes of Catherine Willows. "Perp was still in the house. Came out of nowhere with a baseball bat and went after him. Catherine, he took one hell of a beating; I mean, I've seen some bad ones but this is the worst. It's bad, it's really bad."

Her eyes opened wide with horror as her friend's words settled in. How could it have happened? She wondered. How had the uniforms missed the attacker? "Have you heard anything yet?" she asked.

"No, they've been in there; going over him and nurses running in and out. But no one's talking."

"Well, I'm going to get some answers," she declared as she started toward the door. Jim reached out and caught her arm. "Not yet, let them work. They need to focus on him; let them do their work. We can wait for answers until they have time to supply them."

Nick and Sara exploded through the door at the end of the hall. "Where is he? She sobbed. Nick was trying to keep pace but she out ran him down the passage. "I want to see him. NOW!" Sara insisted.

"He's in there," Brass offered. "But we need to stay here. They need their space and no distractions. Let them help him."

"But I need to see him," pouted Sara.

"Well, HE needs them staying focused on his injuries, Sara." Catherine's words slapped her and she blinked. Catherine continued, "This is not about you, or even you and him. This is all about him. So, let him get the help he needs."

Inside the room, the doctor and several nurses were frantically examining him, surveying the damage. What the doctor saw before him infuriated him. The man had been beaten beyond recognition. He suspected the worst of the injuries were not visible to his eyes. "Doctor," his blood pressure is still dropping and his heartbeat is erratic."

"Internal bleeding; we need to find the source. Order more blood and get it here STAT!" His hands continued to probe, searching for swelling; any clue that might help. Problem was that there was so much swelling…..and bruises…..and, he suspected, broken bones.

"Stabilize that arm, damnit," he barked at another nurse. The arm was hanging at a horrible angle. Multiple fractures there, he noted to himself. Finally, he thought he found the location of the bleeding. Damn, his abdominal cavity is a mess. "Call for an OR and get a surgeon ready. He's going up as soon as we get some more blood into him." I don't know how he's survived this far, the doctor mused, and I doubt he'll survive the surgery.

One the stretcher the patient appeared to be totally out. But his mind was emerging from a black fog. Wake up, he told himself. The pain….so much pain. Another migraine? No, worse than a migraine. Hurts all over….pain everywhere. Where am I? SO MUCH PAIN! He wanted to scream but his mouth wouldn't open. No sound; just pain. Focus…. He tried to open his eyes. Nothing. Even they hurt. Listen, he commanded his ears. MORE PAIN. He heard voices…..muffled and distant to him. And something else….a monitor? Hospital. He was in a hospital. Another wave of pain. He focused, wanting to hear. What had happened? Why was he here? Fear gripped him.

Back in the hall, Catherine was pacing just outside his door. Sara was sulking in a chair nearby, while Jim and Nick leaned against the wall. A nurse walked out and Cath grabbed the opportunity, "Will the doctor be able to speak to us soon?" The nurse smiled and said she was sure the doctor would be out as soon as he could.

The patient inside, straining to hear clues, heard her voice. She's here, he thought. She'll get my back. She'll find out and she'll tell me. His fear began to subside a little. She was here, he would be alright. She would make it alright. He drifted back into the fog as he relaxed his mind, trusting Catherine to make it okay.

Finally the doctor stepped into the hallway. The little group gathered around. "Is there any family here?"

"We're his family," Catherine said for all of them.

The doctor looked at them, "I mean a relative?"

"We know what you mean. He has no living relatives and we are his family. You can argue the point with him when he wakes up, but I'm telling you now, you'll lose."

The doctor surveyed the faces in front of him and decided to proceed. "He has extensive internal injuries causing massive internal bleeding. We've put four pints into him already. He'll be moving up to surgery as soon as the surgeon arrives. His right lung was collapsed but we have managed to re inflate it. That was due to several cracked and broken ribs. So far, I have also determined that he has multiple fractures to the right arm, his collar bone, and his right leg. He has several hairline fractures to his cranium; I suspect there is damage to the brain but we won't know how extensive it is until he is awake. His jaw appears to be broken but there is so much swelling, I can't be sure. There appears to be quite a bit of swelling around the optic nerves and he will most likely be blind temporarily. That should improve as the swelling goes away. Of course, he has deep bruising over his entire body. We'll examine him more closely and set the broken bones after the bleeding is under control and he stabilizes. He is in for a very tough time."

Catherine voiced what the others were afraid to, "What are his chances?"

"Frankly, I'm surprised he's made it this far. If he survives the surgery then I would say he has a decent chance. But the pain is going to be horrendous and his recovery will be an extended one. I have one question, what the hell happened to him?"

Brass spoke up, "Suspect at a crime scene came at him from nowhere. Beat the shit out of him before I could get to him."

"What did he use?"

"Baseball bat."

"Damn," the doctor said, shaking his head. "What kind of madman does that to another person?" he asked as he returned to his patient.

"Doctor, could we see him….before he goes, I mean?" asked Catherine.

"One at a time and only for a minute or two," he smiled through the doorway. He motioned her in.

Catherine steeped next to his bed. Had Jim not told her who it was lying there, she would never have recognized her long time friend, Gil Grissom. God, her heart cried, he's sooo…..so mutilated. She didn't see a place on him that wasn't bruised, or worse. Tears slid down her face. She wanted to touch him, pat him, and comfort him. But there was no place to touch him without feeling like it would add to his pain. "Gil, she whispered. "I'm here; we're all here. We are here for you. Gil you have to hold on. We need you to hold on." Her sobs were audible.

Deep in the fog, he heard her voice. Her beautiful voice. Coaxing him back. Giving him direction. A compass, just as she had always been his compass. His mind reached for her, needing to hear her.

Catherine slipped from the room and Sara walked to him. "I need you, Babe. I need you to come back to me….."

Where had Catherine gone, he puzzled. And why was Sara talking to him like that? He wanted Catherine, needed to hear her voice. She was his life line, his guide out of the black.

The nurse noticed a change in his vitals. He was becoming agitated. "Doctor, I think he is conscious."

"Please step into the hall," the doctor said as he moved closer and examined Grissom's face. He opened the patient's eyelids, looking for a response. "You're right. How did you know?"

"Vitals…..he was calm when the other lady was in here. Improved even while she was talking to him. But when the second one came in, he got very agitated. Heart rate jumped and became erratic."

The doctor went to the doorway and looked at Catherine. "Could you step back in, please?"

Catherine walked in, confused.

"Talk to him," ordered the doctor.

Catherine nodded and walked to Gil. "Hey, Gil. I'm back. Are you there? You can't get away with hiding. I know you are there. Open your eyes, Gil. Come on, let me see those big blues eyes of yours." Nothing, no response.

Gil was trying to open his eyes. He needed to see her. Look into her eyes. He couldn't make them co operate. The pain was so intense and her voice helped soothe it. He knew that if he could look into her eyes, the pain would go away. The doctor monitoring his vitals saw the change. She was better than any medicine he had at the moment and he decided that she should stay.

A few minutes later the doctor quietly indicated that it was time for surgery. Catherine bent down close to his ear, "You're going to surgery now, Gil. The doctors are going to fix what's broken. And I'll be waiting when you get out. I'm not leaving, Gil. I'm here for you and I'm not leaving until you can go too."

His little family stood in the hallway as they watched him being rolled to the elevator.

"Where're Warrick and Greg?' asked Nick.

"At the crime scene," replied Cath. They're working Gil's case for him.

Sara walked away from the group, inwardly chaffing. Nick approached her. "Are you Okay?"

"No, I'm not okay. He's….he's in such bad shape. I couldn't even recognize him. And then the doctor throws me out and calls Catherine back in. I'm with him, not her. It should have been me in there."

"Sara, I'm sure it was just a slip up. We're all worried and upset. We just need to concentrate on him getting better."

"Yeah." She didn't sound convinced.

Hours later they still sat in the surgical waiting room. Warrick and Greg had finished the crime scene and had joined them. Warrick was talking with Nick. "Man, there was so much splatter, Nick." Grissom's blood was all over that room. And little bits of skin."

Warrick shuddered as he recalled the scene. "Greg processed the rest of the house on the original crime. He couldn't handle being in the room. It was awful." Nick patted his friend on the shoulder, thankful that he hadn't been the one to work the scene.

A couple of hours later the surgeon entered the waiting room. "Grissom family?"

They stood as the surgeon approached them. "He made it. Quite frankly, I'm amazed. The beating caused a great deal of damage. Almost all of the abdominal organs suffered trauma, but majority of the bleeding was from the splenic vein. He is in recovery now and once we are confident that he is stable, he'll be moved to ICU. There will be at least one more surgery to set his arm and possibly others as we are better able to access those injuries. I'm not ready to quantify his chances of survival but I will say that surviving this surgery has greatly improved the odds."

"When can we see him?" asked Catherine.

"Once he is settled in ICU, visitors will be allowed one at a time for short periods. He will be in recovery awhile. I suggest that you appoint a representative to stay and monitor his progress and the rest of you get some rest. He has a long road ahead and will need your support."

The group discussed the doctor's suggestion. Sara insisted that she would take the first watch. Greg volunteered to stay with her and the others left to get some sleep. Catherine didn't want to leave; she'd promised Gil that she would stay. But she decided that her presence would further irritate Sara and Gil needed them all pulling together. So she went home.

As she lay in her bed, trying to sleep, her mind kept going back to the sight of him on that stretcher. He was so battered. She remembered his bloody face; looking more like tenderized meat than skin. There were deep gashes over his eyebrow and a tear along his cheek. Oh Gil…..she cried into her pillow. Her grief overwhelmed her as she began to weep. She could see his right arm, twisted and broken; the fingers raw and crooked; barely a hand at all. She could only imagine what other injuries might be revealed over the next few days as he was subjected to more extensive tests and procedures. And even when he woke up, he wouldn't be able to see. She remembered how frightened he'd been when he was losing his hearing. What would the thought of blindness do to him? And even after his injuries healed…..would he be Gil Grissom? Or would this have changed him beyond recognition? And what had the doctor said about his brain…..won't know the extent until he wakes up? She sobbed at the thought that his mind might never be the same. She sobbed until she had no more tears and her emotions were spent. Mercifully she drifted off to sleep.

Eventually Grissom was moved to ICU. Once he was settled into the room; tubes, wires and monitors everywhere, the nurse inquired in the waiting room if his family was there. Sara responded immediately. Yes, I'm here. Can I see him?"

The nurse led her down the hall to a room in the corner of the unit, just across from her desk. He would be her only patient that day. Sara entered the room, frightened by the sight of him in the bed and so much medical equipment and paraphernalia surrounding him. Her heart ached for him. She approached tenderly. She decided that his left hand looked touchable. It had an IV hanging off of it and the oxygen clip was attached to his finger, but the hand looked almost normal. Gingerly she eased her fingers under his palm and around, holding his hand but not squeezing. His skin felt warm. She sighed in relief.

"Grissom……Grissom, it's me, Sara. Honey, are you awake? If you are, can you open your eyes? I really would like to see your eyes right now. Those big beautiful baby blues….you know how much I love to gaze into your eyes." Tears were streaming down her face. "Baby, please….let me know you are there….."

Somewhere inside the black fog his mind heard her. He heard her voice and recognized that it was important to listen. He tried to climb out of the fog, to follow the sound of her voice, but it was difficult. Where was the other? He needed her; needed to hear her, she would lead him out. The pain was crushing him and he began to retreat back into the fog.

The nurse saw the changes on her monitor. He had tried to come out of his post surgery sleep but then drifted away again. Enough for this visit, she decided. She eased into the room quietly and whispered, "Miss, you need to go back to the waiting room now. You can come back in two hours. Let's let him sleep for now. It's best. The pain would be terrible if he came out of it right now. Let's let him rest." Reluctantly Sara conceded and walked back to the waiting room.

Nick and Catherine showed up to relieve Sara and Greg. As Nick watched Sara leave the room, he turned to Catherine, "I'm worried about her; she's not doing well at all."

Catherine considered his statement, "No, she isn't handling it well. She wanted him for years and now that she has him, well, I can understand how hard this is for her."

The nurse looked at her watch. On her schedule, it was time to allow another visitor. She checked the monitor, confirming his condition. Yes, she would allow it. She called to the waiting room. Catherine asked Nick if he wanted to go in; he hadn't had a chance to see Grissom yet and she knew how much the older man meant to her friend that was sitting next to her. "No," he said. He had blanched at the suggestion. "I should Catherine, but I just can't. I can't see him like that."

Catherine walked back and found his room. She slipped in next to his bed. He still looked horrible but at least the blood had been washed off and some of his features were almost recognizable. His arm was in a splint now and didn't look quite as mangled. She found his left hand, as Sara had done and slipped her own in it. She sensed that he was sleeping and knew that it would be cruel to try to waken him, so she simply stood there. As she held his hand she was mentally willing him to fight. Her heart opened and she imagined her strength flowing down through her arm, into her hand and flowing into him. He needed her strength, she knew.

He felt her strength flood into him. Somewhere in his fog, he sensed the energy rushing to replenish him. His mind awoke and he listened. Reaching out with his internal senses, he sought her. He fought the pain and reached beyond it to find her. She was there, he knew it. Speak, he cried out to her in his mind. He listened. He thought he heard her breathing….maybe, smelled her. And then, he felt her. Her hand was attached to his. She was there. Relief flooded through him. He willed his fingers and they moved, ever so slightly.

She felt it. His fingers twitched more than actually move, but she felt it. "You with me?" she asked gently. Another twitch. She thought she saw a tiny smile form at the corner of his mouth. "I see you Gil. I know you are with me. You're doing well. You had a rough time but you're better now." She saw his eye lids flutter and then spring open. "Wow, you know how to light up a room." She detected panic from him. Oh God, he must still not be able to see, she thought. "Gil, listen to me. Your optic nerves are swollen. The doctor thinks it is just temporary….you hear me, Gil? The blindness is temporary. Trust me, Gil. Don't panic; just relax. It'll come back." His fingers twitched again. "I am glad to see your blues though. I've missed you." His eyes moved in the direction of her voice. She continued talking, hoping that the sound of a familiar voice would comfort him.

Watching her monitor Nurse Howard was intent. She recorded his response to this visitor. Doctor Lowell, her patient's physician, happened upon the scene. He turned to the nurse with a questioning expression. "What's going on?"

She pointed to her notes and said, "Look at this."

As he looked at her numbers she explained, "He had a visitor earlier that seemed to upset him. His numbers went haywire….blood pressure up, heartbeat and rhythm erratic. This lady came in and at first his rate bumped up. But then as she began to speak to him he settled down and his numbers are the best they have been since I've had him. She's doing what the meds can't seem to do for him."

Dr. Lowell stood and observed the subjects of the nurse's report. Grissom's eyes were open, yet he seemed calm. He should still be blind thought the doctor. So where's the panic? And he seems to be unaware of the pain that should have assailed his body. They had him on morphine but even that wouldn't cover the pain the man should be feeling. But he was calm. The doctor didn't understand the how or the why but he understood the what. What this patient needed was more of this woman.

Catherine sensed the doctor's stare and thought it must be time for her to leave. "Gil, I'm sorry, but I have to go. My time is up. They only let us in for a few minutes. Seems they think you need to rest. But I'm just outside in the waiting room Nick is there too. And the others will be here later. One of us will be back soon, I promise. We're not leaving you here alone."

He tried desperately to grip her hand and keep her there. He wanted to yell but his mouth wouldn't open. A sad moan grew within him. Nurse Howard spoke softly, "Doctor," as she watched her monitor. The doctor glanced at the readings but they only confirmed what his eyes already told him. His patient was panicked that the visitor would leave.

Catherine stepped into the hall, tears sliding down her face. Dr. Lowell stopped her.

"May I speak to you?"

"Of course, Dr. what is it? Is he okay? I mean, he seemed a little better."

"He is doing better. And you are helping. Look, we have the rules about visitation to ensure that all of our patients get enough rest. Occasionally we break them. I'm ordering that we break them for him."

"Really, Doc? Because he has a lot of people out there that would like to see him."

"Well, they can come in for a few minutes as dictated by the rules. But you will be given free rein. You will be allowed to come in and stay as long as you want."

"What? I don't understand."

"We've watched his responses to you. You do more for him then all the meds pumping through him right now. Your presence steady's him. Simply put, you calm his nerves. And his pain level seems to decrease when you are with him. You are good for him. So, unless you have other places to be, he needs you here."

Catherine digested his words; absorbed the meaning. She was confused and unsure about what she should feel. One thing she did know. Gil needed her and she would be there for him.

Quickly she stepped into the waiting room to explain the situation to Nick. She didn't want him wondering why she was gone so long and think something had gone wrong behind the double doors. He was pleased to hear that Grissom had opened his eyes. That seemed like a big step to Nick. "Its okay, Catherine. I'll be here if you need me. You go take care of our guy so he can come back to us."

When Catherine returned to Grissom, a chair had been moved into the room. She was being encouraged to stay. She sat, close to the bed, and slipped her hand into his again.

The pain had attacked him when she left, forcing him to retreat into the fog. As the sensation of her touch registered, he tried to make his way back to her. His eyes opened again and then the lids slowly drooped until there was only a hint of blue beneath the tiny slits. Catherine watched his face and understood that he was tired. "It's okay Gil. You rest. I'm here. I'll be here when you wake up. I have your hand. I'm not letting go. Just rest."

Time passed slowly as Catherine sat there, eventually resting her head on the bed next to his hand. But she never let go of him. She intended to keep her promise.

When Sara returned she went in to see him. There she found Catherine, head on the bed, sitting with him. Sara stepped in the room. "You can go take a break now, Catherine. I'm here. I'll stay with him. It should be me with him."

Catherine was startled by the venom in Sara's words. This wasn't the place to get into it with the other woman though, so she quietly surrendered and headed for the waiting room. Sara sat in the chair and took his hand. He flinched. Somewhere in his fog, he had felt Catherine leave. This hand was not hers. He wanted it to go away. He wanted Catherine back. Sara was angry. First she comes back to find out Catherine has carte blanche with her man and now he's flinching at her touch. How dare they? How dare he…..Fury overtook her reason and she stormed out of the room, through the waiting room and out of the hospital. Nick followed Sara as Catherine hurried back to Grissom. She had no idea what had set Sara off and she was afraid that Gil had been upset.

She eased back into the chair. "It's okay Gil. I'm back. Sara got upset….seeing you like this; it was too much," she lied. "I'll stay with you until she calms down."

Sara peeled out of the parking lot leaving Nick standing on the sidewalk. "Wow, is she ever pissed," he thought. Sara never came back to the hospital.

Days passed. Gil's bones were set and the fractures were healing. Thankfully his jaw hadn't been broken but dislocated. He had suffered a bad concussion with short term memory loss and occasional loss for words, but seemed to have no permanent damage. New bruises appeared daily, although the rate had decreased. As the swelling receded, his eyes cleared and he was overjoyed to open his eyes one morning and look into Catherine's beautiful blue eyes. His gaze followed her the entire day as she moved around his room; now a private one. The injuries and bruising to his internal organs were healing and he was feeling much better. The visible bruising on his face and body was changing colors, displaying an array of colors. The gashes and scrapes were also healing. His face was beginning to be his again. His IV was still attached to the morphine but he was pressing his button less frequently. On the eighth day, Dr. Lowell asked the magic question, "Are you ready to go home?"

Catherine insisted that he would stay with her a few days. After all, his leg and arm were in casts. Not to mention that he was still weak and wobbly. He had protested but gave in. He wanted out of the hospital more than he wanted to argue about where he would stay. She drove him to her place and he settled into her guest room. The 'Great Escape' as Brass had called it, tired him and he napped while Cath fixed dinner for him, her and Lindsey. He hobbled to the table after Lindsey had appeared at his door to tell him that dinner was ready. He ate quietly, listening to Cath and Lindsey talk about the child's day at school. He offered to help clear after they were finished, but Cath had laughed. "I want my dishes all in one piece," she teased. "You can fix me one of your house specialties and do all the work, once you are on your feet again."

"Okay, he agreed. The thought of her in his kitchen appealed to him.

Lindsey excused herself and headed to her room to finish homework.

Gil and Cath settled in on her couch for a quiet evening of tv. "Catherine," Gil asked.

"Hmmmm?"

"I need to ask you something. And I need you to be honest."

His tome caught her attention. She looked into his still battered looking face to try and read him. "Okay."

"Why didn't Sara come to the hospital? Do you know?"

"I'm not sure, Gil. I know how upset she was. And she was at the hospital at first. I'll be honest, she didn't seem to like it that I was there. Or that you seemed to respond to my voice when you didn't respond to hers."

"I've known your voice longer," his head tilting as he considered her words.

"Well, anyway, she came into ICU and I was there with you. It seemed to upset her so I left. Next thing I knew she was storming out and she never came back."

Gil contemplated the information. His eyebrow lifted and then his lips pursed, acquiring the 'pouty look' that Catherine loved so much. Finally his jaw clenched and he asked, "How has she been at work?"

"Not good. She barely talks to anyone and not at all to me."

"Did she even ask about me?"

"She didn't ask me. But I know she was talking to Nick and Greg, so maybe they kept her updated. I wasn't going to tell you this until later, but when I went to your place to get some clothes….well, she's moved her stuff out." She watched, trying to gage his response.

His forehead furrowed as he thought. He stared ahead for a few minutes and then spoke, so she's not even going to talk to me. That's it, she's just going to disappear."

"Gil, I know how much you…love her." The thought of Gil and Sara together sickened her. She's suspected their secret long before they revealed the relationship and she had dealt with it because he seemed to be happy. And she wanted Gil to be happy. "And I thought she loved you. I just don't understand it really."

"She must have seen it; finally understood it," he muttered. He turned his head to her and sought her eyes.

"Understood what?"

"The connection you and I have. A connection that she and I will never have. She's always been jealous and perhaps she had a right to be. I didn't understand myself until I was in the hospital….in the fog." His gaze intensified. "But it's there, Catherine. A bond between us that is so strong that, well….." his voice faltered.

"Well what?" She could see that he was trying to decide if he should continue.

Weakly he continued, "I was dying Catherine. I was sinking deeper and deeper. And then I heard your voice and I wanted to come back. Needed to find you. Whenever you were there I felt you. You comforted me and gave me strength. You are the reason I made it. That's the connection. I was fading away and you pulled me back when no one else could reach me. Sara must have seen that. That's why she's so angry. Because you have a part of me that she'll never be able to touch. No, that's wrong. You ARE a part of me."

"Gil? I'm not sure I understand."

"That's okay. I do. Although for years I didn't. But in that black hole I knew. When you would leave and others would come, I wanted them to go away. I only wanted you. I've always only wanted you." He watched her face; afraid of her reaction.

"Ahhh, you wanted…me?" Her bewilderment was evident. She glanced away but her eyes returned to him.

"Yes," he said gently. "You're the only one for me Cath. You have my heart and my soul. I belong to you, if you'll have me." The blue of his eyes was warm and sincere.

She shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All those years of her wanting him, yearning for him' fantasizing about him; and he was sitting here telling her he wanted her. That he was hers IF she wanted him. IF she wanted him….all those nights of lying in bed, aching to feel him next to her, on her, in her.

He watched her closely; unable to read her face. Fear began to set in. I've screwed up, he thought. Now it's going to be a big mess. Sara's furious and I will have lost Catherine. I should never have….

His thought was broken by a very sultry, "Can I kiss you? Is there a place it won't hurt?"

A mixture of amusement and intrigue crossed his countenance. He searched her face, admiring her beauty, and then scrutinizing her eyes….those lovely blue lights. Amusement was replaced by desire on his face. "Well….there's a little corner of my mouth….here," he said, pointing to his lips, his eyes twinkling.

She didn't have to be told twice. She slid closer and leaned into him. Their lips met in a gentle caress. She wanted to press for more but really wasn't sure how tender he was. Sensing the reason for her hesitation, he pressed a little harder, his tongue teasing her; begging to open her lips and to explore her mouth. Her lips parted, her tongue meeting his as he invaded her mouth. His tongue found every corner of her, building momentum.

She pulled away slightly, only to catch her breath and then was attacking his mouth with renewed fervor. This time he pulled away. He tipped his head, leaning his forehead against hers, her mouth within tongue reach. "Ahh…. Cath, um… I really like where this is going but ah…."

"What Gil? What's wrong?"

"I, ah, well….you know, I AM just out of the hospital, you know?" Oh how he was hoping she would understand.

She did, immediately. But this was too good. They had teased and taunted one another for years and she was not about to let him off too easy. "Well, yeah Gil. But you seem to be doing so well. And all we were doing was kissing. Or did I miss something?" Her eyes made their way down to his lap. She licked her lips.

Being an observant man, Gil caught her meaning. 'That's the, uh….problem," he confessed. I don't think I'm quite ready yet. I want to be but I'm still so tender, even there and I just don't think….well, right now it's not a good idea."

"So let me get this straight….your heart and soul are mine but I can't have your body?"

"I promise, I will share it with you ASAP." He looked at her with wide eyed, innocent eyes. He was teasing her now.

Oh, how I love that expression, she mused. He gets me with it every time. "You bet you will. But I understand that you need more recovery time. I'm going to enjoy teasing you though. Girl has to get her fun however she can."

"You've been teasing me for years. And once the doc says it is okay, I intend to get payback for it." He was chuckling now.

"Promise?" she smiled. And with that she rested her head on his chest and they snuggled on her couch, simply enjoying that they had finally admitted their feelings for each other.


End file.
